By Mikaela Pannell
Famed Catholic author and philosopher G.K. Chesterton has been attributed as saying, “The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.” In this day and age, this has never been more true. Matt and Mieke Slaba are a beautiful example of an ordinary couple living an ordinary life, which makes their testimony extraordinary in our world today.
The Slabas live in Wagner and attend St. John the Baptist Parish there. They have been married for 21 years and have four children whose ages range from third grade to college.
Matt is originally from near Geddes. He never really wandered from the faith he grew up with. As he got older, the faith held more meaning for him, and he found himself “enjoy[ing] going to Mass more,” especially when he transitioned into independent adult life.
Originally from Hartington, Nebraska, Mieke moved to Wagner for a teaching job upon graduating college. She considers herself to have been a fallen-away Catholic throughout her collegiate career, but after meeting Matt, who was a faithful Catholic, Mieke started going to church regularly (largely to be near him). This became an opportunity for God to work in her heart and draw her back to the faith.
They quickly fell in love, and the rest is history.
Not all sunshine and butterflies
As with all married couples, the Slabas are familiar with difficult times. Mieke shares that after the birth of their third child, “We had an ectopic pregnancy, which really shatters your hopes … but honestly [it] made our faith stronger.” Through this loss, they clung to God and each other.
They also describe a time when one of their children went through some significant health issues, which took quite a while to get to the root cause of. It was a long and exhausting process for both Matt and Mieke. This was another challenging time where their faith really grew, and they had to cling to prayer, their faith and each other.
Matt describes leaning on the Lord through prayer in challenging situations. “I do my fair share of praying … I just think God will help us out. God won’t abandon us.”
Having dependence and trust in God and also on each other has been essential to getting through tough times. Mieke expands, “You can’t go through anything without God, without faith, without someone else by your side to have the same beliefs and hopes you do.”
Their marriage is a testament to allowing suffering to sanctify.
Faith in action
The Slabas have a tried and true faith, which they live out in their daily life. Mieke shares that their morning routine consists of doing “the ‘Living Faith’ reading, and then we do the devotional after. He’ll read the Bible and I’ll read the little devotional from ‘Living Faith’ every morning.”
The Rosary has been a particular devotion for the Slabas, as well. Both Matt and Mieke are dedicated runners and pray when they run, especially taking time to pray the Rosary.
They have not been shy in sharing their faith with their children and work hard to ensure that it is passed on to them. Mieke says, “Living as a Catholic, the way we act and the things we do hopefully portray what a Catholic should be … and really talking to them about our faith.”
“Just instilling in them that this is the most important thing,” Matt adds. “We don’t miss Mass. If they’ve got something going on, well we’ll maybe have to drive to some other town to go to Mass that weekend. Just things like praying before meals—we don’t eat until we pray before meals.”
There are other faith practices they’ve instilled in their children, too. For example, when going on trips, the kids know that the first item on the agenda is a family Rosary.
Finding joy in simplicity
When on social media, one could easily get sucked into thinking that joy is only found in big events in life. While of course the Slabas look back fondly on the births of their children, their wedding day and other momentously joyful occasions, they have found that simple moments have plenty of joy, too.
Matt reflects on quiet nights sitting on the porch, drinking a beer, enjoying each others’ company, and how the simplicity of an evening like that is a source of joy for them.
Mieke agrees, “Joyful moments don’t have to be huge moments.”
Lessons and advice
After more than two decades of marriage, the Slabas have grown in holiness and wisdom. When asked about what they’ve learned throughout their marriage, they agree it’s how it forces a person to become selfless. Both Matt and Mieke stress how becoming a spouse, and then as a parent, shines a light on how selfish a person can be, and how within marriage and parenthood there is opportunity (and oftentimes a necessity) to grow into a more selfless person every day.
In regard to giving advice to younger or struggling couples, Mieke says to “always pray, and always pray for each other.” Prayer is a powerful tool in marriage.
Matt also stresses the importance of communication. “Talk and share things with each other. Don’t keep everything to yourself.”
Lastly, Mieke offers words of encouragement. “Don’t give up, don’t leave God out. He’s the one who put you here and got you here.”
Mikaela Pannell is a freelance writer and a parishioner at St. Therese Parish in Sioux Falls, where she serves as a lector. She is married with three young children.
